For those who have traveled to China and brought cash and credit cards with them in previous years, you would have been surprised by how many restaurants, grocery shops, taxis, and even the train don’t take cash. Who would? When the convenience of WeChat Pay allows restaurant and retail shop owners to quickly accept payment with the scan of a QR code?

The most exaggerated story I have ever heard was of a friend who was in Shanghai for business, and was approached by a homeless man asking for spare change; my friend offered up a small cash bill, and was quickly rejected by the man, who instead took out his mobile phone and asked if my friend could transfer him the payment using WeChat Pay. Of course, being a foreigner traveling in China, my friend was unavailable to do as requested.

The good news today for international travelers? You no longer need to fret about how to pay for your expenses in China, because both Alipay and WeChat Pay now allow international users to add their credit cards to their WeChat Pay wallet, making it more convenient than ever for you to get around while you are in China.

Once you are set up with WeChat Pay, you can quickly hail a cab with the Ride-Hailing function, which shows you how many people are in front of you and also shows you a live map or when your cab arrives. Of course, once you arrive at your destination you can simply get out of the cab, much like how Uber works in North America. But, it doesn’t stop there, with your WeChat Pay functions, you can also book rail and flight tickets, movie tickets, hotels, participate in group deals, shop online and more. The only downside? You will be surprised how fast and easy it is to spend money once you have WeChat Pay on your phone!

Below are step-by-step screenshots to help you get set up on WeChat Pay.

Now on your visits to China, you won’t have to line up at the train station to buy a physical train ticket, simply scan and enter. Enjoy unparalleled convenience and efficiency where you can sit down at an eatery, scan a QR code at your seat, order within a WeChat Mini Program, have the food delivered to you, finish eating and simply get up and leave; though we would expect more service if it were a fine dining situation, in day to day casual eateries, this method works extremely well and helps customers save the time it takes to wait for a server to take your order and for them to take your payment.

You can also use WeChat Pay at international destinations worldwide wherever you see the following WeChat Pay icon. Even in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and other Canadian shops, you can use WeChat Pay now to buy groceries, get a haircut, and even buy fine jewelry. Around the world wherever WeChat Pay logos are shown in retail shops and on eCommerce platforms, consumers are now able to traverse the physical and digital world with the convenience of WeChat Pay.

Enjoy a world of convenience with WeChat Pay - download the app and get set up today to enjoy seamless digital payments around the world.